Exercising apparatus



March 4, 1930. F. KING EXERCISING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 22. 1927 PatentedMar. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES FRANCIS. KING, or LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIAEXERGISING APPARATUS Application filed August 22, 1927. Serial No.214,510.

My invention relatesto an exercising apparatus, and has for itsprincipal object the provision of a relativelysimple, inexpensive andeasily manipulated device, that may be advantageously used for impartingto practically all portions of the body a highly beneficial form ofexercise.

A further object of my invention is to provide an exercising apparatusof the character referred to, thatmay be conveniently suspended from thetop member of a door frame,

thereby enablingthe user of the apparatus to manipulate the same whilepositioned in the open space between the upright members of the doorframe.

A further object of myinvention is to provide. an exercising apparatusthat is readily adjustable so that it may be conveniently used bypersons of different heights, and further to provide an apparatus havingapart that is especially designed for exercising the head, neck, andshoulders, of the user.

With the foregoing and other objects in view,'my invention consists incertain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts thatwill hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational View of anexercismg apparatus of my improved construction, and showing the samesuspended from the head or upper member of'a door frame.

Fig. 2isa side elevational viewof that portion of the apparatus that isutilized for supporting the head while the latter and the neck andshoulders are being exercised.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper end of one of the clampingjaws that engages the head portion of the door frame.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of one end of a bar that. supports parts-of theexercising'apparatus. a

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2. I

Referring by numerals tothe accompanying drawings, 10 designates a pairof crossed metal bars that are pivotally connected to each other by a.pin or bolt 11, and the upper portions of said bars are extendedupwardly 59 and thence inwardly to form hooks 12, that are adapted toengage over the facing strips S, that are arranged on the side faces ofthe head member of a door frame.

The inwardly projecting portions of the hooks 12, are covered withrubber, or analogous material, to provide cushions 13 that prevent thehooks from marring the facing strips S and the faces of the walladjacent thereto.

Formed in the upper edges of the lower portions of the members 10 arenotches 1 1, that receive the upper links of a pair of short chains 15,the latter extendinginward toward each other and the lower links of saidchains being connected to a ring 16. I c5 Engaging ring 16 is the upperloop of an S-shaped book 17, and depending from the lower loop of thishook is a short chain 18.

The lower end of chain 18 is connected to the central portion of ahorizontally disposed bar 19, preferably a metal tube.

Projecting upwardly from the bar 19, at points equidistant from thepoint where the chain 18 is connected to said bar are pairs of shortpins 20, and similar pairs of pins 21 7 are seated in and projectupwardly from said bar at points between said pins 20 and the ends ofsaid bar.

Detachably mounted on the bar 19, between the pairs of pins 21, arerings 22, from which so depend S-shaped hooks 23, and connected to thelower portions of said hooks by means of rings 24, are large rings orstirrups 25 of such size as to receive the lower limbs of a person, andcarried by the lower portions of said rings or stirrups 25 arecylindrical members 2% preferably of wood, hard rubber, or the li e.

Detachably connected to the lower portions of the hooks 23, are theupper ends of chains 27, and connected to the lower ends of these chainsare metal rings 28, the lower portions of which are providedwithcylindrical handles 29, preferably'of wood or hard rubber.

The portion of the apparatus that is deas signed to receive the head ofa person taking exercise, comprises a U-shaped strap 30,preferablyformed of fabric, of sufiicient size to pass beneath the chinof a person and to extend upwardly on the sides of the head; and 1 theupper ends of this strap carry rings 31, to which are connected thelower ends of retractile coil spring 32. The outer ends of these springsare connected to rings 33, that are adapted to pass over the ends of thebar 19, and engage between the members of the pairs of pins 20. I

The forward ends of a strap 34 that is adapted to pass around the rearportion of a persons head, are formed into loops 35, that encircle thestrap 30, and said loops being ranged so that they will slide verticallyon and the strap 34.

In addition to serving as stops to limit the downward movement of thestrap 34:, the plates 36 serve as stays to retain the upright portionsof strap 30 in proper opened position while in use, and to prevent saidstrap from tending to roll up or twist when backward strain areimpressed'onstrap 34;.

My improved exercising apparatus may be used in various ways forimparting exercise to different parts of the body, and when theapparatus is set up foruse the hooks 12 on the upper ends of the crossedbars 10 engage over the facing strips S of the sides of the heads or topportion of the door frame as illustrated in Fig. 1, and thus alldownward pull upon the apparatus tends to cause the hooks on the crossedbars to more firmly engage the head or top member of the door frame andthus retain the apparatus in proper suspended position.

In the event that the personusing the apparatus desires to exercise thehead, neck, shoulders and arms, the rings 22 carrying the parts 25, 27and 28 may be'removed from the end portions of bar 19, and the-strap 30is then placed beneath the chin with the upper portions ofsaid strapextending upwardly to the sides of the head, and strap 34 is arranged sothat it passes around the back of the head. The user now lowers the bodyso that the head is drawn down slowly, and this downward movement of thehead is yieldingly resisted by the coil spring 32.

In order to assist in this exercise of the head, neck and shoulders, theuser may manually grasp the end portions of bar 19 and to alternatelypull the body upward and then permit the body to lower, withthe resultthat the arms-,fshoulders, upper portion of the may, and practically allparts of'the head and neck are exercised so as to stimulate cir-'c'ii-l'ationand bring inte -pla and action 'various muscles and nerveswith beneficial 'results.

By grasping the bar 19 with the hands the body may be bent forward andbackward or pairs ofpins 21, and the user of the apparatus by graspingthe handles 29 of the lower rings 7 28, may swing the limbs" upwardand-pass the lower-portions of-the limbs through the large rings 25',and thus hang by the knees from said rings, and .which action is highlybeneficial in stimulating bloodflow andexerci'sing practically all themuscles and organs ofthe body and lower limbs.

To remove the apparatus from the door frame, it is only necessary v toswing the crossed bars 10 upontheir axis 11, so as to disengagethe hooksfrom the head portion of the door frame, and when the" entire apparatusis packed for storage or transportation it occupies comparatively littlespace.

Thus it will be seen that I haveprovided an exercising apparatus that isrelatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, capableof being easily and quickly suspended from an overhead support, such asa head or top bar of a doorframe, and'which apparatus may beadvantageously employed in the exercise of'practically all parts of theH body.

In some instances it maybe found desirable ies to suspend the bar 19 bymeans 015a pair of the hangers comprising the parts 10 and18, and wheresuch arrangement is employed, the

bar 19 functions or maybe used after th manner of an ordinary trapeze.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form andconstruction of the various parts of my improved exercising apparatusmaybe made and substituted for those herein shown and describedwithoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is setforth ed claims.

I claim as my invention: I 1. In anexercising apparatus,-a pair ofpivotally connected crossed bars havingtheir upper endsterminating inhooks, a flexible member depending from said crossed bars, a bar'carriedby the lower end. ofsaid flexible member, and rings detachably connectedto and suspended from said bar. I f I 2. In anexercising apparatus, apair 'of pivotal-1y connected crossed bars, the upper ends thereofterminating in hooks; a flexin the appendible member suspended from the lowerportions of said crossed bars, a bar carried by the lower portion ofsaid flexible member, rings suspended from the ends of said bar,flexible members suspended from the end portions of said bar, and ringscarried by the lower ends of said flexible members.

3; In an exercising apparatus, a flexible member, means connected to theupper end of said flexible member for suspending the same from anoverhead support, a bar carried by the lower portion of said flexiblemember, and a pair of adjustably associated head-engaging strapsyieldingly suspended from said bar. 7

4. In an exercising apparatus, a flexible member, means connected to theupper end of said flexible member for suspending the same from anoverhead support, a bar carried by the lower portion of said flexiblemember, a pair of adjustably associated headengaging straps yieldinglysuspended from said bar, and pairs of rings detachably con nected to andsuspended from said bar.

5. In an exercising apparatus, the combination with a suspended bar, ofa pair of adjustably associated head-receiving straps, one of which isadapted to pass beneath the chin of the user,-the other adapted to passbehind the head of the user, and retraotile springs forming a connectionbetween said head-receiving straps and said suspended bar.

6. In an exercising apparatus, a U-shaped strap adapted to pass beneaththe chin of the user, a strap adapted to pass behind the head of theuser, the ends of which last mentioned strap are mounted for slidingmovement on the first mentioned strap, springs connected to the upperends of said U-shaped strap, and means on said U-shaped strap forlimiting the downward sliding movement of the other strap.

7. In an exercising apparatus, a suspended bar, rings detachably mountedon the ends of said bar, larger rings flexibly connected to the firstmentioned rings, flexible members depending from said first mentionedrings, and hand rings carried by the lower ends of said flexiblemembers.

8. In an exercising apparatus, an overhead clamp comprising a pair ofpivotally connected crossed bars, the upper ends of which terminate ininwardly presented hooks, a

flexible member suspended from the lower ends of said crossed bars, abar carried by the lower portion of said flexible member,

and a pair of adjustably associated head-receiving straps yieldinglysuspended from said bar.

In testimony whereof I ture.

FRANCIS KING.

aflix my signa-

